iPhone 13 Camera is blurry

The closest you can come to what you want is to either shoot your photos using a third party app such as Lightroom, or with the 13 Pro/Pro Max, shoot your photos in RAW mode and process them on another device.

There is no way to modify the default image parameters for the Camera app.

I think I found what they intend to be their version, but it's only for skin toning. It's in the contour lighting. In that mode it will automatically, slightly, soften skin appearance.

You've been very helpful!

Thank you!

Hi,

I recently upgraded form the iPhone 12 Pro Max to the iPhone 13 Pro Max. Upgraded - at least, that was what I thought before taking the first bunch of Photos. Unfortunately, I often have to do some - I won't call it Macro Shots but let's say Close-Ups - in available light. Never hat an issue with the 12 Pro Max but with the 13 Pro Max, pictures seem slightly softened, not that crisp and also out of White Balance.

I switched off the automatic switching between the Wide and Ultra Wide Camera (the Macro function was embarrassing), at least, Apple gave this option on 15.1, but still, the pictures look like they were shot with an iPhone, few generations older. Also, the 13 seems to need a bit more of distance between the lens and the object. Has anyone experienced the same?

Have an appointment at the Apple Store tomorrow but after reading this thread, I'm not sure if an exchange of the phone will help. After using 12 generations of iPhone, I never thought that buying a new iPhone will be a step back, especially regarding photos.

>the pictures look like they were shot with an iPhone, few generations older

even few generations older take better shots (iphone 8 in my case)

>Also, the 13 seems to need a bit more of distance between the lens and the object. Has anyone experienced the same?

yes. sent it to repair. they said to expect camera replacement.

Today, I took some Close-Up and Macro Shots in RAW. The result was far far better and almost that, I expected. So the issue seems to be the automatic image editing of the iPhone. Hoping that there will be an update available soon, I will take my pictures in RAW for now. I knew, I should have taken the 1TB Version... ;-)

It definitely looks like a software issue.

from an hardware perspective I think that the camera is amazing.

even automatic processing sometimes it work really well, but not most of the time for the kind of shot I used to take with my previous iPhones.

are you also able to avoid the oil painting effect shooting RAW from the native Apple camera app? I wasn’t able to do so.

my only workaround was shooting raw but from the Lightroom for iOS camera.

Happy to hear that someone else is hoping for an update! 🤞🤞🤞

Yes, I noticed a huge difference, I take macro shots, went from an 11 Pro Max to the 13 Pro, and it is a horrible change. The macro images have no zoom, as they are bitmapped looking, and the edges of the details look like a cheap camera. Don’t know what to do with this Pro 13. Was wondering if there was some way to use the lens purely instead of all the interpolated software that is junking up my images, or is it the lens itself? I can’t even easily control which lens is being used as it jumps all over the place trying to choose for me. I wanted to want the bigger lenses, but they are giving me worse pictures. Does anyone know if I should turn in my new phone and keep the old one until the 14 or 15 comes out? I use the camera all the time, my most important feature.

If you're running iOS 15.1 or later, there is a switch under Settings -> Camera where you can shut off "Auto Macro."

However, be aware that also means you will need to manually select the ultra wide lens if you plan on photographing anything located closer than about 6" from the phone.

By making the same picture with a iPhone 12 pro and see the difference.

If you zoom in on your buckle it is also blurry. Sharp oke, but with a oil painting effect.

There are 1000 complains on the internet about this. The 12pro of my wife makes much better pictures.

Zooming in on a photo already taken is a pointless exercise. It's a digital zoom and means nothing, unless you're planning to blow up a photo to huge proportions for something. And if you are, you should be using a hugely expensive Medium Format camera system with hugely expensive lenses and more than 45 megapixel sensors.

Also, you don't have my original photo. You have a highly compressed version, which can't be compared with the original, so also not a valid comparison.

Plus, I'll stand by my photo. My photo is as in-focus as it needs to be, especially in a closeup from a cell phone camera, where you can see the iPhone cameras in the reflection on the buckle and see I'm almost close enough to the subject for the camera to touch my buckle. If that's not good enough for some here, there's not likely any other camera system in a cell phone, which can do better.

Yes, I'm truly thrilled with the cameras in my 13 Pro Max. And as someone who has studied photography and I own a Nikon DSLR with lenses costing more than my 13 Pro Max, my phone takes photos which rival my DSLR. For me, it doesn't get much better than that.

Absolutely a Nikon Shooter. Though my DSLR is lonely these days with the 13 Pro Max making it easier to leave the Nikon in it's bag with all the fancy-dancy lenses in the camera bag.

By the way, I stand by buckle photo above. I held and took the picture one handed since I was taking a picture of the buckle on my band which is strapped to my left wrist. Its as in focus as can be as far as I'm concerned.

I am experiencing the exact same problem. My rear camera is just horrendous! The lack of definition in the pictures is totally unacceptable for a near $2000 phone. I have read many many forums on potential ways to fix this problem and nothing has worked. I went from the iPhone 11 Pro Max to the 13 pro max and am really regretting it. I got the phone mostly for the camera quality, such a letdown. The captured photo is completely different from the pre capture photo through your camera lens. Any sort of selfie photo looks awful. It completely changes the colour of your skin and and even makes your face look different!

I decided to take to my Instagram story to ask others if they are experiencing this as well and I got a ton of replies from friends stating that they have the same issues. So yes it is definitely a real problem with the phone, and apple needs to fix this asap.

no they don’t

all apps taking a regular non-RAW shot use the same camera API, which means all apps get exactly the same pixels from the operating system

only if you apply filters it looks different, but then again by DEFAULT instagram does NOT apply any filter EXCEPT A LOSSLESS CROP of the image

do you realize by extrapolation that this issue affects at least several orders of magnitude real life devices since only a few percent manage to actually see it and only a few manage to go to the communities?